Arthur's Stupid Man-Servant
by neversleepingalwaysdreaming
Summary: Merlin has to transform into a lady to save Arthur's life at the King's banquet, but then Arthur starts flirting with Merlin and Merlin reacts the only way that seems natural- to flirt back. Fluff follows.


**So this is basically a canon-divergence AU where Merlin has to transform into a girl to save Arthur because of reasons. Also in this AU Merlin told Morganna he had magic and they became best friends and Morganna never turned evil and never went to Morgause and everything is okay. This is obviously Merthur and Uther is still alive, Gwen is a servant so it's probably going to be around season 4 of Merlin in terms of where it sits in the timeline except there was never a Gwen/Arthur love story because it has always been Merthur. Okay- that's all you need to know. Enjoy**

Merlin was going to strangle Gaius. And then he was going to kill Arthur for being such a target and getting him into this mess in the first place. Merlin shuffled uncomfortably and re-adjusted his dress.

"Well Merlin, you make quite a lovely woman, you're sure to fit right in at the king's banquet" Gaius looked too smug and entertained- especially due to the fact that Arthur's life was in danger- _again_. Merlin sighed, pushing his hair back. It flowed down his back messily, getting tangled somewhere behind his neck and Merlin tugged his fingers free.

He didn't know how Gwen and Morganna did it- this dress made it difficult to breath and it was hard to walk in, he had fallen walking down the steps from his room and he hadn't even put on his heels.

There was a knock on the door and Morganna came in. She laughed openly at the sight of Merlin who was now hunched over, attempting to put on his heels.

"Merlin you look lovely, my dress looks beautiful on you. It's perfect, you will blend in without standing out and drawing attention." Morganna then started playing with Merlin's hair, pinning his hair up at the front so that it stayed out of his face, while leaving the rest of his hair to flow down his back. "There- all done. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be" Merlin frowned as his feminine voice, surprised that his voice had changed with him. "You're sure its tonight?"

"Positive. I saw it in my dream. Lady Salie is going to throw and knife right at Arthur, piercing his heart and killing him. It was awful." Morganna paused. "Merlin, I know it's a lot to ask you save Arthur all the time, but I really do appreciate it. I know this is the last thing you want to do Merlin, but it really is the only way"

Merlin was surprised to see Morganna suddenly quiet- no, not quiet, guilty. Morganna felt guilty for putting Merlin through this.

"Morganna, I am only uncomfortable doing this because I can't breathe in this dress. I am always happy to help Arthur. Where does he think I am anyway?" Merlin turned to Gaius who suddenly looked guilty. Merlin was supposed to be helping Arthur get ready for the banquet but he had spent too long trying to master the spell to change into a woman to be able to help him. Taking in the look on Gaius' face Merlin bit back a groan. "You told him I was at the tavern, didn't you?" Gaius nodded once, confirming and Merlin sighed. He'd deal with it later.

Morganna held out her arm. "Time to go Merlin." Merlin hooked his arm through Morganna's and they made their way up to the castle. Morganna had to leave Merlin so that she could sneak back to her chambers and give the presence that she had been there the entire time, leaving Merlin to walk into the banquet with several other women, all chattering excitedly about meeting the prince. Merlin rolled his eyes and pretended to be as excited as them.

Merlin had spotted Lady Salie immediately and was determined to keep an eye on her the length of the evening, not allowing her the chance to leave and kill Arthur.

Because Merlin had a plan, everything went wrong- because of Arthur.

Arthur had found Merlin quite soon into the banquet and had barely left his side. The thing that shocked Merlin the most wasn't that Arthur had managed to dress himself, or the fact that his heart had fluttered in his chest when he saw Arthur looking exceptionally handsome in his red shirt and pants (his heart did that all the time anyway), no it was the flirting that put Merlin off his aim. Arthur was flirting with Merlin. Sure, he didn't know it was _Merlin_ but Arthur wasn't drunk, he was actually sober for once, and was flirting with Merlin in ways that made Merlin wish it was real. And even more surprising was how easily it was for Merlin to flirt _back_.

Before Merlin could even register what was happening, Merlin was being pulled into a quiet corner where they couldn't be seen and Merlin was being kissed in the best way possible. Arthur's lips were demanding on Merlin and Merlin was more than willing to give Arthur everything he had. Merlin didn't want to ever stop kissing, but when they had pulled away from each other to breathe, Merlin saw Lady Salie sneak out of the banquet hall and Merlin had to hurry to follow her.

"I'm sorry Arthur, sire, but I have to go, urgent business I must attend to" Merlin removed himself from Arthur's grasp and hurried out, barely catching Arthur's desperate _wait, come back_ as he fled the room.

Honestly, Arthur wasn't sure what to expect. When Gaius had come in to cover for Merlin (and Arthur loved punishing Merlin for being at the _tavern_ , though he did feel guilty when he had usually been saving Arthur's life), Arthur knew that Merlin would be at the banquet that evening. However, Arthur had not expected him to come as he had.

Arthur had spotted Merlin almost immediately, in one of Morganna's simpler dresses, looking determined and prepared and Arthur didn't know he could love Merlin more than he did in that moment.

Arthur couldn't help himself- he went over to Merlin and started flirting. He wanted to test the waters, to see how Merlin felt about Arthur. When Merlin had flirted back Arthur's heart had soared. It was too easy, flirting with Merlin and before he could stop himself and remind himself that _Merlin was here for a reason which meant that someone was probably trying to kill him and Merlin was going to be a stupid idiot and save him while also simultaneously risking his secret in front of Uther for the probably_ _ **thousandths**_ _time this year_ and he was pushing Merlin to a quiet corner and kissing him with a desperation that came from always being with Merlin and never being able to do anything remotely close to this.

Merlin had responded instantly, wrapping his petite arms around Arthur and pulling himself closer. Arthur couldn't believe that this was happening, that this was real and Merlin liked Arthur back and they were actually _making out in a corner during the king's banquet which was a not-so-secret way of trying to set Arthur up with some girl that Arthur would show no interest in because his heart belonged to his stupid servant_ but then Merlin was pulling away and running from the hall to save his life, mumbling some nonsense about having business to attend to.

Arthur watched Merlin hurry off and started after him.

"Wait, come back" he cried desperately, but Merlin disappeared out the door.

Arthur went to chase after him when his father grabbed him by the arm and pulled him over to his side. Morganna shot Arthur a look that was a mix between _I think you're about to die_ and _you and Merlin were just making out and now I owe Leon 5 gold coins_ (which she did because Arthur was well aware of when Leon had Merlin and Arthur marked down for starting a relationship and if anyone was going to win it was going to be Leon).

Uther started making yet _another_ speech about how thrilled he was that they had turned up and Arthur was trying to ignore the way that all the girls were looking at him like he was a prize to be won when Arthur felt a shiver go down his back- like someone was walking over his grave. He looked up just in time to see a knife cutting through the air, straight at him, quicker than Arthur could react to.

However, halfway through the knife changed course and landed a metre away from Arthur and Arthur just managed to catch a glimpse of Merlin's female long black hair rushing away from the balcony that Lady Salie was standing before Leon and Lance were rushing up the steps to grab her, Gwaine and Elyan being by his side in an instant, swords drawn, in a matter to protect him. Percival had drawn his swords also and stood with a protective loyalty that could frighten a dragon.

Arthur's heart warmed at the sight of unwavering loyalty that came with his knights.

Arthur had nothing to say, simply watching as Morganna let out a _thank god_ when Arthur knew she really meant _thank Merlin_. Arthur watched the door with such intensity which drew his father's attention.

"Nobody else will try that tonight, but perhaps you should retire for the night" Uther placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder, drawing him into the present.

"Yes, I think I might. Thank you father" Arthur managed to get out- glad he didn't have to explain that he was really waiting for Merlin to slide back into the hall, which he still hadn't. Morganna gave him a knowing look.

"Sleep well Arthur" she said, smiling and giving Arthur a brief hug.

Arthur hurried out of the hall, hoping with desperation that Merlin still hadn't left yet. His stomach was in knots as we walked. _Oh god, did Merlin regret kissing Arthur? Had he fled so he wouldn't see Arthur or was he afraid of getting caught?_

Merlin closed the door to Gaius' chambers with a sigh, grabbing the de-spell potion Gaius held out and headed up to his room to change without a word. He could still feel the pressure of Arthur's lips on his own. He committed the feeling to memory, as he knew he could never feel it again. He had just changed into his normal clothes when he heard the door open downstairs and Arthur's voice rang out clear as day.

"Is Merlin back from the tavern? I would like to speak with him." Merlin opened the door to get a good view of the interaction. Arthur looked like he did earlier, but his hair was messier, as if Arthur had ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"He is up in his room sire, he really should get his rest" Gaius chanced a glance up at Merlin who had turned away to stash Morganna's dress and his spell book.

"I'll only be a moment" was all Merlin heard before his door was opened and closed again, the only change being Arthur's presence.

"Hello sire, how was the banquet?" Merlin asked, feigning ignorance.

"It was fine Merlin. In fact, I met a girl" Arthur said. He started forward, stalking Merlin until Merlin had his back against the wall.

"Is that so?" Merlin asked, looking anywhere but Arthur. They were incredibly close now, like they had been before…

"Yes, in fact, she reminded me a lot of you. She had you big ears, your cheekbones, long black hair, your beautiful blue eyes. In fact, she was even wearing Morganna's dress" Arthur's words were spoken over Merlin's lips, a reminder of earlier and Merlin felt his heart stuttered in his chest, his blood running cold.

Merlin drew in a breath, chocking on it. "You- I- but" Merlin was at a loss for words.

Then there was suddenly an absence of Arthur's body heat as he walked over and picked up both the dress and Merlin's spell book.

"Did you honestly think I didn't know? That I didn't know that you have magic, that Morganna has magic, that you have saved my life more than I can count, that you never seek recognition and that you risk revealing your secret to my father and all of Camelot because you feel the desire to save my life over and over?" Arthur's voice was deadly quiet, deadly calm, but his eyes told the emotion he wasn't conveying. Arthur looked angry, he looked guilty, he looked amused, and strangely enough, he looked scared- scared for _Merlin_.

Merlin felt slight anger build up in his chest. "So why tonight then? Why do that to me? Why play with me the way that you did, flirting and kissing and pretending to be interested. Why do such things- to test me? To make me break?" Merlin felt tears burn behind his eyes and he willed them away.

Arthur was back in Merlin's personal space in no time- his book discarded somewhere on his bed. Arthur was looking so intently on Merlin, his eyes searching, determined. "I was testing waters. I wanted to see how you felt, how you would react. I-"Arthur's eyes were suddenly lowered. "I was afraid to try anything before, I didn't want to ruin anything, because as painful as it was to watch you and never have you, I would rather suffer through that than lose you entirely. I couldn't do that- I love you too much to let you walk out of my life. A life which I only have because of you, because of Morganna, because of Gaius."

Merlin had stopped listening though, his heart stopping on " _I love you too much_ ". Merlin felt a strange wave of confidence wash over him, and he pushed forward, capturing Arthur's lips with his own. Arthur responded eagerly, pulling Merlin to him while simultaneously backing him up against the wall and connecting every part of their bodies. This wasn't like before- this was much more intimate, much more _Merlin &Arthur_ than they had been in the banquet hall. Their bodies fit together like they hadn't before, every part of their body connected.

Arthur pulled away and started kissing down Merlin's neck. Each kiss a _thank you_ , each kiss showing Merlin a side to Arthur which he rarely saw, which he loved just as much as the others.

"If you want me Arthur, have me. I'm yours" Merlin said, resting his head against the wall, his hands tangling in Arthur's hair as he let out something between a loving sigh and a wanting moan when Arthur found a particularly sensitive spot of skin.

Arthur pushed Merlin's shirt aside so he could bite down on the skin connecting his shoulder and his neck, followed by sucking it and licking over it. Arthur was branding Merlin, marking his territory, and Merlin loved him for it, loved knowing that he belonged to Arthur, that Arthur wanted to make it known. Merlin grabbed Arthur's face with his hands, drawing Arthur's face back up to his own.

"I love you Arthur, with everything I have" Merlin said, stating it like it was the only thing that mattered, before reconnecting their lips. Merlin could have kissed Arthur for hours, but the knock on the door pushed them apart.

"Is everything alright in there you highness?" Gaius sounded generally concerned for Merlin's safety. Merlin pulled back from Arthur, grinning.

"Yes Gaius, everything is fine. We'll be right out." Merlin pushed Arthur away and covered his new brand up with his shirt. As he walked toward the door, Arthur grabbed Merlin's hand, looking both confident and unsure.

"Mine" he stated, pointing at Merlin with his free hand, the one in Merlin's tightening possessively. Merlin smiled softly, his heart doing a feminine flutter (not that he would _ever_ admit to it) at the sound of officially being Arthur's. He nodded, placing a chaste kiss on Arthur's lips.

"Yours" he said, before opening his door and walking out, pulling Arthur down behind him.

Merlin then sat down with Gaius and explained what had happened that night, keeping Arthur's hand in his own which Gaius had taken in with only the raising of his eyebrow. Gaius was happy to hear of Arthur's knowledge of Merlin and Morganna's magic, and his full-hearted acceptance. Merlin told Arthur that Lance had knowledge of his magic and Arthur said he discovered Merlin's magic after the incident with Cornelius Sigan. He confessed to not being unconscious when Merlin faced him off and that that moment had confirmed a suspicion that Arthur had had since the beginning.

Arthur reluctantly stood up after a while, not wanting to go but having to.

"I should leave it's getting late. I'll see you tomorrow Merlin" he said, walking toward the door. Merlin had followed him and was grinning.

"Bright and early with breakfast, as always" he reached up and ran his fingers through Arthur's hair, ignoring the awkward cough from Gaius who had busied himself with his remedies.

"I'm going to talk to my father tomorrow" Arthur stated. "About the reasons for my refusal to marry. I'll make it clear that my heart belongs to another, but I won't give him a name, no matter how hard he pries. He won't accept us and I won't have him send you away so I'll attempt to get through to him over time- it won't be easy. I know I can never get him to accept magic but when I am king I will change things, I give you my word Merlin."

"I believe you Arthur" Merlin said, a fond smile on his face, his fingers still threading through Arthur's hair. "I think it's best if we continue as we always have, don't you? Though Morganna will be able to see right through it, and probably Lance as well, and Lance will probably spill the beans to Gwen, he always does. But other than them, nobody else will really know"

"Leon will" Arthur said, enjoying the feeling of Merlin's fingers in his hair. "As will Gwaine and Elyan I suspect. Percival will probably eventually figure it out. They are my closest and most trusted knights after all and they spend quite a bit of time with us. But yes, other than them, nobody will know." Arthur smiled and bent down for another kiss "Until tomorrow Merlin."

Arthur then opened the door, looking back at Merlin with a loving glance, before his disappeared into the night, back up to the castle. Merlin turned back to Gaius and lifted a finger.

"Not. A. Word" he said with all the confidence he could muster, before he hurried back up to his room and fell onto his bed. He didn't even try to force the smile off of his face and he picked up his book and stowed it away. He leaned back onto his pillow and sighed contently.

Merlin felt light. Arthur loved Merlin back and now Arthur knew that he held Arthur's heart in place of his own, which was held by Arthur. But more importantly than that, Arthur knew he had magic, knew Morganna had magic, knew how often Merlin used magic, was afraid of Merlin's secret being revealed in an attempt to save Arthur's life and Arthur wanted to bring Magic back into Camelot.

Their relationship was kept a secret, nobody outside of the closest knights, Gwen and Morganna were aware of any kind of unprofessional relationship within the palace. Uther had been outraged at Arthur's refusal for marriage and demanded to know who had Arthur's heart, but Arthur had held firm, protecting Merlin. Arthur and Merlin stole kisses in Arthur's chambers and on rides with the trusted knights, which eventually extended to Mordred when he came along.

When Uther died on Arthur's birthday, Merlin's magic couldn't help, he died too quickly and before Merlin could perform the spell. Arthur had waited until he was respected by the courts and by the people before he renounced the ban on magic. Merlin eventually told the knights about his magic, which prompted Mordred to do the same.

Arthur proposed to Merlin not soon after that, giving him his mother's ring. He proudly announced Merlin as his husband and after some time, the court sorcerer. All of Camelot knew of Merlin's efforts to save Camelot and they treated him with the respect he deserved. Emrys was a name that was now openly associated with Merlin, and it drove fear into other sorcerers who sought vengeance from Uther who wanted to take it out on Arthur; nobody crossed the most powerful sorcerer in existence.

Morganna's power grew with the teachings of Merlin and Gaius and she lived a happy life married to Leon. Gwen and Lance were the first married, to absolutely nobody's surprise.

For once, Camelot was at peace, and all was well.

 _ **A/N Well that's that then isn't it. Another Merthur fic. Keep in mind that this was written at about midnight so there are bound to be mistakes or strangely worded sentences. Hope you like it and as always, like, follow, review.**_

 _ **Until next time folks.**_

 _ **Tumblr: fanfictionisthekeytothesoul**_

 _ **AO3: Neversleepingalwaysdreaming**_

 _ **: neversleepingalwaysdreaming**_


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